


Safe and Sound

by timaeusTestifying



Series: The Best Of Times [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Coming of Age, Gen, Implied Prostituation, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Incest, Slice of Life, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-25
Updated: 2013-07-25
Packaged: 2017-12-21 06:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timaeusTestifying/pseuds/timaeusTestifying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don't know what you'd do without her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe and Sound

There's this girl in your town named Crystal. She's a year older than you and your mom says you should be friends with her. You don't want to, because you're six and girls are stupid and dumb. You don't want to play with Barbie dolls or get make overs or any of those things, but then again she's the only other kid in the town and you may be a boy but you're a very lonely boy.

You play with her and it's not that bad. She likes to play with cars and Pokemon figures. She likes to dance, but not ballet or anything dumb. Sometimes she likes to play dress up, but when you say no she likes to wrestle you to get to do what she wants. She's kind of like a boy, except she has pigtails. 

After a month of playing with her the two of you decide you're best friends.

\--

Two years later you're eight and she's nine. It's New Year's eve and everyone in town is outside for a big barbecue party. Your mommy is drinking the smelly drink she tells you not to drink and so is every other adult. Crystal is greeting her relatives. They bring presents that were suppose to be for Christmas. It's late but Crystal doesn't mind. She gives them all kisses and lets you help her open her gifts. She gets girly clothes, plush Pokemon, and old looking music CDs. The wife of the guy who gave her the CDs says she's too young and probably won't like them. She puts them on and dances to them, and you dance with her.

The fireworks start and you watch them outside with her while eating too big hot dogs. She sits on her uncle's lap who's holding her in a weird kind of way. You want to light sparklers with her and see who can have theirs burn out the fastest, but she says her uncle wants to give her a secret present inside.

The next day you ask her what the present was. She says it's a secret.

\--

You're ten and she's eleven. Some more kids moved into the town and they're boys so you hang out with them. They make fun of you for hanging out with Crystal. Crystal says she's worried because she doesn't want you to act like someone you're not because of them. You don't understand because you're ten. You don't know how to act like someone you're not because all you know how to act like is yourself.

You keep playing with Crystal and the boys call you a girl and a sissy and a faggot. You tell Crystal because you can't understand half of the names they call you and she gets all mad. She beats them up and they don't talk about her anymore or make fun of you.

"What's a faggot?" You ask her one day while watching Saturday morning cartoons. "Do you remember? When Alex and Josh and Nickey and Joey said I was and you kicked their butts?"

Crystal frowns the way she did when you first told her. "My daddy says it's the scum of the earth. But my daddy's dumb, so I asked my mommy. She said a faggot is a mean word for boys who like boys and girls who like girls."

You don't know why someone would make up a mean word for people who love people, but you guess there's a mean word for everything.

"Don't worry about it Goldy." You got use to her silly nicknames. "Those boys don't know what they're talking about. You're the coolest, no matter what."

You smile because you know your best friend will always look after for you.

\--

You're twelve and she's thirteen and girls aren't gross anymore. Boys talk about kissing other girls and girls talk about who they like-like and you're a little more than interested. Rumours around school begin to spread that you like Crystal because you're always around her.

You think you might like her, but it's a weird sort of like. In a way, she's like your big sister but not. She's pretty and according to rumours you hear she doesn't use a training bra anymore (whatever that means).

On Valentine's Day you write her a love note and you tried super hard to make sure she doesn't recognize your handwriting. You slip it in her locker and you're there when she opens the envelope. You're not sure whether it's the eager look on your face or the fact you're the only one who dots your "i"s with fireballs but she knows it's you right away. You feel a mosh pit in your stomach as you ask her to be your girlfriend. She rejects you with a smile.

Later she invites you over for hot cocoa. To say sorry without actually saying it, you bet. You two sit outside on a snowy bench outside of her house as you drink. The steam rises up on her face. She's wearing a shiny blue coat and jeans with pink stars on them. She has on a yellow scarf your mom knitted for her. Her cheeks are rosy and her hair is dark and messy.

It was in that moment you realize she's beautiful. It was in that moment you realize she's too good for you.

\--

You're thirteen and you're completely convinced that you're in love with Crystal. You begin to realize all the things she does and how she does them in a pretty way. Sometimes you think of things and sometimes you touch yourself. Sometimes you think of Crystal and every time you do, you feel guilty.

You're thirteen and you feel stupid for being jealous of Crystal's new boyfriend. You feel angry when they hold hands and you feel even angrier when she talks about him. The butterfrees in your stomach become charizards when she tells you that he stole her first kiss. You feel jealous because you believe that first kiss wasn't his to take. Then again, it wasn't yours either.

The more she hangs out with him, the more you're concerned. It isn't just out of jealousy, either. She begins to curse as if it's nothing. She teases you because you're afraid to say the word 'stupid' in front of your mom.

You get really worried when she starts to drink beer. You're scared because she's fourteen and you know she's not suppose to drink so young.

"It's just little sips. It's barely a whole can." She always says this when you two are hanging out and she's drinking cup.

Time passes until you speak up. "You should stop dating him."

"You're not the boss of me." 

You expected an answer like that, but it still hurt. "You should stop drinking that."

"Look who still isn't the boss of me."

"You sound like your dad."

She frowns. It was a low blow, you know, but you were upset with her. Her dad isn't one to be proud of. She makes that clear when she decides to stop drinking.

A few months later, she breaks up with her boyfriend. "He started getting all controlly, you know? He was all like 'don't hang out with Gold anymore' or any other of my guy friends. Can you believe that?" You smile. Last week it sounded like they were preparing to get married. You hug her because you're so glad she'd rather stay friends with you then stay dating that douche. "Bros before hoes, Goldielocks."

\--

You're fourteen and Crystal's fifteen. She lives right next to you, so you can practically hear every word that's being yelled and every plate that's being thrown. You lay in your bed with wide eyes, trying to go to sleep. You have on a CD/Tape player you got for your birthday playing a mixtape Crystal made you. It's full of all her favourite songs from people you've never heard of but certainly do like.

Later that night, she sneaks her way out and knocks on your window. You open it for her and her eyes are red from crying. You swear you can see bruises forming but it's too dark to be sure. You let her in and sneak cookies up to your room and you talk about everything and nothing.

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?" She says as she bites into another cookie.

"I kinda wanna be a Pokemon champion..." It's every kid's dream to become a trainer when they turn sixteen. It's yours to become a champion. You have posters in your room that idolize gym leaders and champions throughout the world. You've kept magazines about them. Your favourite has to be Red from Pallet Town. He's mysterious and so damned cool.

"Well yeah, that's what everyone wants to be, silly." She sits up and looks down at her nails. "But then they're twenty and they have like- what? Three badges? Then they have to go to college to learn how to get a real job. But the problem with that is, they spent all their time raising Pokemon instead of raising money for college. They end up with jobs that anyone who wants to be successful would never tolerate. Like electricians or fishermen. That's why there's so many of them. It's a good thing they're important, sort of."

You blink and look down. The two of you never really talk about serious things like this. "I'm not gonna stop until I become champion. I can feel it in my heart and my soul."

She grins and laughs as she lays her head on your lap. You play with her dyed blue hair. "That's what I love about you, Goldie. You're so determined in that naive way. It's..." She pauses, trying to think. "It's a good trait, but it's a stupid trait. It's only a favourable trait if you're a hard worker."

"Am I a hard worker?"

She bursts in a fit of giggles. Criggles, you call them. "Uuuuh huh. When you really wanna be."

"I really wanna be a Pokemon champion."

She smiles and leans up to kiss your cheek and pull you into a hug. You hug back and when she falls back on the bed, you fall with her. "Then you're gonna be a champion." Her Criggles die down and she lays on her side toward you. You face her and the two of you lock stares before she holds up her pinkie. "Promise me you'll become champion. Promise me you're not gonna give up for nothing. Not even if you fall in love or if you break a leg. You gotta want it as much as you want to breathe. Do you promise? If you don't promise, I'm gonna kick your ass. And if you break the promise, I'm also gonna kick your ass."

"That only leaves me one option, Crys."

She grins and you grin. You wrap your pinkie around hers and the promise is locked. There was no turning back now.

Minutes pass as you two lay in silence, listening to the soundtrack of The Breakfast Club. "...Hey, Crystal. What do you wanna be? When you grow up, I mean?"

Her smile stretches ear to ear. "I wanna own a record shop in a culturally deprived town. I wanna spread music to the broken, the beaten, and the damned." You grin as you recognize the lyrics. She does too, but her voice becomes serious. "I want to spread the messages people leave in the songs they write. To let people know they're not alone. Give them something to relate to. I want to help people find a reason to hold onto that... last sliver of hope."

You stare at her with sleepy eyes, processing her dream. You decide there is nothing other than that one dream that she would be more cut out for. Crystal laughs some more and buries her face against your arm. "It's embarrassing. I feel like it's The Catcher In The Rye sort of thing, but I really wanna do it."

"I bet you're much more attractive than Holden."

She giggles some more. "Shut _uuup!_ You're the only person I've told. Keep it between us, okay?"

"Okay."

\--

You're fifteen and Crystal is sixteen. She had a chance to go on her Pokemon journey, but she decided against it. She said she wanted to save up money for her record shop. Her mother is friends with the professor's wife, so Crystal gets a Pokemon for a companion anyways. The Chikorita is named Adalae, after her favourite Pink Spider song.

You try to focus on finishing your required school education. It's hard to concentrate when you're so eager to leave. High school is more like kindergarten with all the childish and immature antics that are shared among your peers. It's easy for you to make friends and all, but you feel like you're just grinning and bearing everything instead of actually participating in social situations.

You're popular because you're charismatic and easy to talk to. Crystal is popular, but for a different reason. One day at school you go to the bathroom. On the stall wall is writing in blue metallic sharpie. Different sexual acts for different prices. You feel like you're going to vomit. You know it's Crystal because under it all is the cell number of her cheap phone. That, and she's the only highschooler you know who still dots her "i"s with stars.

After school that day, you decide to confront her about it. You always knew that she hung out with sleazy guys but now you had an actual reason to be worried. You were so, so worried. What if something were to happen to her? You don't know what you'd do without her.

When you finally arrive from school, there are police cars at her house. Her mother is crying and her father is steaming mad. A police officer is speaking to Crystal, who is looking down in either defiance or guilt. The officer puts away the pad she was writing on and speaks a bit more before driving off. You see Crystal and she sees you, but her face doesn't change and she goes into her house.

You hear more yelling and more glass breaking that day. Crystal climbs into your room from your (now always opened) window. She lays beside you in bed and wraps her arms tight around your torso. In return, you wrap your arms around her head and run your hands through your hair.

"They arrested my uncle." She says this as she cries into your chest. "My favourite uncle. Uncle Benny."

The Uncle Benny who gave her the secret gift that one New Years Eve those years ago. The Uncle Benny who got closer to her as she got older. The Uncle Benny she stayed with while her parents were out of town. The Uncle Benny who gave you the same feeling you had when a truck or a van drove by too close and too slow for too long.

"I'm sorry." You murmur into her hair and hug her tight.

The two of you fall asleep listening to the Chicago soundtrack.

You end up never bringing up the writings on the bathroom stalls.

\--

It's your sixteenth birthday and you can barely finish a sentence without-

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Crystal blows her kazoo and screams and hugs and kisses and suffocates you. Your mom does the same, except instead of blowing a kazoo, she places a cake in front of you. The only people you had invited were relatives and a few friends from school. Your birthday is near memorial day, so almost all of them had plans to spend time with their family. It's always been like this, though. You, your family, and Crystal. This year someone you aren't quite as familiar with comes.

"Hello! I'm Professor Elm! Well, you already probably know this since we're neighbours. Well, anywho! I bet you know why I'm here!" A balding man in a white coat is to your side. Of course you know why he's here. You have been anticipating this moment for years.

You get a Cyndaquil. You name him Basil after Crystal's and your favourite childhood movie. The Great Mouse Detective. Basil is perfect in every single way and he burns when you touch him but you're convinced that's your fiery spirit synchronizing with his.

You wanted Crystal to be your first Pokemon battle, but she insists that Adalae is a princess and is NOT for fighting. Oh well.

It's late that night. The next day you go off for your Pokemon journey. All your presents have been supplies. A bag for your things, a pokegear from your mom, basic camping items, and a trainer's guide. You want to leave right away, but Elm says he has an errand for you to run before you go off. "Might as well be his chore boy one last time before I leave, right Basil?" You say as you scratch his head.

Crystal climbs through your window like she has for years. Except that this will probably be the last time she will for a while. She's holding a box. It's amazing that she can climb two stories and still hold something.

"I got you a farewell gift! I know you already have one, but this is special." She sits on the bed and pets Basil while you open it.

It's a walkman. Not just any walkman. When she was fourteen, she entered a radio contest. She stayed awake for two days to win this. What was so special about this? It was slick and smooth and she kept it that way for years. It had colourful and abstract designs that made it unique. On top of that, it was signed by David Bowie. You know a few hipsters that would kill for this walkman.

Which is why you can't help but stare at Crystal in disbelief. "You're... giving me Baby Davey? But you love this thing!" You hold it as if you're a humble farm boy holding a princess' tiara.

"Weeell, yeah. I do love it. I thought it'd motivate you!" She took out a mixtape from the pocket of her hoodie. The metallic plastic of the tape made it look promising. It was labeled 'Remember our promise!' with little hearts around it. "It has our favourite music... favourite motivational music. All our songs. All the ones we memorized and danced to. You'll have to listen to it to find out what they are."

You already had an idea of what they were. You felt the charizards in your stomach again. But they weren't thrashing around. They were breathing fire. A fire that made your chest warm and your eyes swell up with tears of the utter most joy. You place Baby Davey on the bed before tackling Crystal down into the bed. You were laughing like a maniac while crying your eyes out. She laughs as well, but tries to calm you down at the same time.

In the midst of your sobs, you find your words. "I-I never forgot. I never forgot the p-promise we made and I never forgot the things you said. I never forgot any of that. And- and, and... I'm gonna be the champion and I'm gonna do it for us. And when you open your r-record shop, I'll tell everyone about it and-"

She laughs and shakes her head. "Nooo. You don't owe me anything. Besides, I like the idea of a record shop poppin' outta the blue and slooowly earning more customers. I don't wanna sell out or anything."

You smile because you had a feeling she'd react like that. You hold her close in a hug and she hugs you back just as tight. She mumbles for you not to listen to the mixtape until you get to Violet City, much too far away to come back home. You agree and you lay in each other's arms and fall asleep to the sound of hoothoots and the pleasant smell of Basil's soft flames.

\--

You are eighteen and you are the champion of the Johto region.

When you return home the first person you go to see is Crystal.

Crystal is nineteen. Her father is dead from overdrinking, her mom can't stop drinking, and Crystal is curled up on her bed, passed out drunk. All the money she saved up for her record store had been stolen when her house was robbed. Her Chikorita was stolen by Team Rocket and died of the harsh conditions of captivity.

You kiss her forehead and leave a note. The next day, you leave for Kanto.

\--

"What are you going to do now?" She says as she braids your hair. You haven't gotten it cut in a while. "You're the champion of Kanto and Johto. You even kicked your idol's ass."

You grin and press the bottle of liquor to your lips. "Well, they say I should take Lance's position and be the official champion."

"That's what they say. But what do you want to do?"

You shrug and press the earbud further in your ear. "Settle down, I guess. Relax for a bit. Start dating. I think I got my eye on someone... but if that doesn't work out, then I guess I'll travel to other regions. Not for battles... Well, maybe just battles for fun. But you know. I wanna see places and experience stuff."

"That sounds good." She undoes all the little braids she made and begins to start over. "They're hiring at a record store in Goldenrod city. It's not like I dreamed, but it's a start. Who knows? Maybe I can spread my underground tastes."

"There's actually an underground market in Goldenrod. They sell awesome stuff there. Like those earmuff headphones I got you for Christmas."

"Those are ugly!" She laughs. "But I still love them. Alright, I'll definitely try to work there."

"I'm thinking of getting an apartment there. Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Maybe." She leans down to kiss your forehead.

The two of you lay in silence, music still being whispered from the earphones.

"Crystal?"

"Hm?"

"I don't know what I'd do without you, you know."

A pause.

"I know."

You're twenty years old and you've never had a friend as good as Crystal.

**Author's Note:**

> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27bESHiJ9cU


End file.
